Craigslist serial killer could be a cop say police sources

Emergency personnel search the dunes and scrub near the ocean, across the road from where eight bodies where found, near Oak Beach, N.Y.
Photo by: AP

Fears that the new Craigslist killer, who is suspected of killing eight women, at least four of them prostitutes, and dumping their bodies on Long Island beaches, is a cop or someone in law enforcement have been raised by police themselves.

The investigation into the killings is being led by Irish-born cop Richard Dormer Commissioner of the Suffolk County Police.

The New York Times has reported that the killer “appears to have a sophisticated understanding of police investigative techniques, according to people briefed on the case.”

“He is a guy who is aware of how we utilize technology,” one investigator said. “Frankly, people are thinking maybe he could be a cop” — either one still in law enforcement or one who has moved on.

“Without question, this guy is smart, this guy is not a dope,” the investigator continued. “It’s a guy who thinks about things.”

As an example, they point to how he used pre-paid cellphones to call victims before setting up appointments with the women for sex. When he called to mock the family of one of the prostitutes killed, he did so from her cell phone in a very crowded area so police could not locate him in time.

Meanwhile the manhunt continues but no concrete leads have emerged. Police commissioner, Richard Dormer, said in a statement late Friday that “no suspect has been identified in the Gilgo Beach homicides.”